Chin & Puppy

[ashleynicol3]

We have house guests for Christmas, so all of our spare bedrooms, including the one in which my chinchilla (Buddha) usually resides, are occupied. We've moved Buddha's cage into our bedroom, which wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that we have a new puppy (a shih tzu/bichon mix). The puppy is very sweet, but he's curious about Buddha. Buddha, of course, sees him as a threat. I can control the puppy enough to keep him away from Buddha's cage and usually it's a non-issue since I can close the door to Buddha's room unless I'm in there to supervise. (I would NEVER allow the puppy to be in the room during Buddha's out-of-cage time for any reason.) I would like them to be able to tolerate each other, though. Any tips for getting Buddha to calm down a bit when the puppy is around? Will it just take time?

It seems like he's kind of taunting the puppy by running around like a wild man - on the bottom level of his Ferret Nation, too, right in the puppy's line of sight. He kacks at the puppy if he gets too close to the cage. I don't see why he doesn't just move to the upper level of his cage, but I guess he's staking his claim - I was here first, so back off. Buddha is my first baby (and still my favorite - shh, don't tell!), so I want to do what is best for him. I know the puppy will adjust either way.

 

[becky12883]

Can you cover the bottom half of the cage with fleece while the puppy is in the room? I had house guests bring a dog over, and we covered the bottom half of the cages with fleece. The boys went to the top of their cages and glared down at the dog, and the dog didn't try to taunt them as much because she didn't see them as reachable.

 

[Dragonflye]

Is it possible to close the door to your room and not let the puppy have access until the houseguests are gone? That would be the ideal solution.

Buddha may get used to your puppy or maybe not. He is a prey animal, so he may always feel threatened and be stressed in the presence of the dog.

 

[ashleynicol3]

The puppy's crate is in our room, so right now they have to be in the same room for at least a short period of time. I did drape fleece over Buddha's cage & that seems to be working well. He bucks at the puppy when he sees him & kacks at him, but otherwise, he seems unbothered. I keep scolding the puppy & telling him that if he goes near Buddha's cage, I'm gonna let him out to kick his butt, lol. Buddha's like, "Let me at 'em!"

When the houseguests leave, I'm just going to move Buddha back to his room & keep them separated until the puppy becomes less interested.


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[Riven]

Without regular exposure the puppy will never become less interested. It will always be "that fun toy thing mom doesn't let me play with". Depending on the set up you can also block the bottom half off if you have the main level divider in by blocking the jump hole to keep more distance.

 

[Dreamlite]

You can use a play pen to leave more room between the puppy and the cins cage so he doesnt feel so threatened. They may learn to get along or they might not. I would try to give the chin as much room as possible.